1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to infrared communication repeater apparatus and method in data communications systems for performing communications of the direct emission type while causing out-going infrared radiation to have directivity in infrared communications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Data communication methods using infrared radiation may typically include two approaches which follow.
A first method is a direct emission type communication method for performing transmission and reception of infrared signal light with one infrared transmitter (simply referred to as xe2x80x9ctransmitterxe2x80x9d hereinafter) and its associated infrared receiver (xe2x80x9creceiverxe2x80x9d).
A second method is a diffusion type communication method of causing infrared radiation as emitted from transmitters to reflect off from ceilings, walls or the like and then allowing receivers to receive the resultant reflected and scattered rays of infrared signal light.
The diffusion type communication method is superior in flexibility of layout of transmitters and receivers than the direct emission type communication method due to the use of reflection and diffusion of infrared signal light at the ceiling or the like; however, the former method is more significant in required transmitter output than the latter because of a reduction or attenuation of the intensity of light in reflection and diffusion events, and also remains higher in reception sensitivity as required for receivers concerned.
A further problem faced with the diffusion type communication method is that the arrival time of infrared radiation signal light at an intended receiver side tends to be retarded or delayed upon affection of multi-paths originated from optical reflection and diffusion, which in turn leads to the risk of interference between a presently received infrared radiation signal and its succeeding one, resulting in limitations of data transmission rate.
On the other hand, the direct emission type communication method is featured in that while any obstructions should not be present between associative communication devices with complete line-of-sight xe2x80x9ctransparencyxe2x80x9d or visibility. being required therebetween, high-speed data transmission is attainable as compared to the diffusion type communication method because of the fact that any multipath affection leading to occurrence of a delay in reception of infrared signal light hardly taken place unlike the diffusion type communication method, which in turn causes the Output required for transmitters to be less than that in the diffusion type communication method while reducing the. reception sensitivity as required for transmitters.
In the prior known direct emission type communications apparatus including infrared communication equipment for performing infrared communications by use of standard protocols of IrDA (Infrared Data Association) with regard to infrared communication methods, one-to-one (1-to-1) type communications schemes are employed in most applications, which renders N-to-N type simultaneous communicability unattainable although 1-to-N type communications forms are possible.
The present invention is drawn to direct emission type infrared communications apparatus that may merely support either 1-to-1 type or 1-to-N type communication forms, and its primary object is to enable accomplishment of an N-to-N type communication form by permitting independent effectuation of communications between individual equipments to thereby transfer data information received by each equipment to another or other equipments.
It is another object of the invention to enable attainment of N-to-N multi-connection communication form via repeater apparatus by performing communications with a connection being set with the individual equipment, especially in the 1-to-1 connection communication type infrared communication method.
To attain the foregoing objects the invention as set forth in claim 1 is a repeater apparatus that has a plurality of infrared transmission/reception means for transmitting and receiving infrared signal light, featured in that said infrared signal light as received by said first infrared transmission/reception means is transmitted from said infrared transmission/reception means other than at least said first infrared transmission/reception means.
The repeater apparatus of the present invention may permit the direct emission type infrared communication equipment merely supporting either 1-to-1 or 1-to-N type communication form to perform independent communications with any one of individual equipments thereby transferring data information transmitted by respective equipments toward other equipments, thus enabling accomplishment of N-to-N communication form.
The invention set forth in claim 2 is a repeater apparatus having a plurality of infrared transmission/reception means for receiving first infrared signal light to convert it into a corresponding electrical signal and for converting an electrical signal to second infrared signal light for transmission, featured in that the first infrared signal light said first infrared transmission/reception means has received is sent forth from said infrared transmission/reception means other than at least said first infrared transmission/reception means.
The repeater apparatus of this invention permits direct emission type infrared communication equipment merely supporting either 1-to-1 or 1-to-N type communication form to communication with individual equipments independently of one another thereby transferring data information transmitted by respective equipments to other equipments, thus enabling accomplishment of the N-to-N communication form.
The invention set forth in claim 3 is repeater apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, featured by performing a communication setting so as to enable information exchange by infrared signal light between a plurality of communication equipments and said plurality of infrared transmit/receive means, while permitting infrared signal light as received by the first infrared transmit/receive means subjected to said communication setting to be transmitted from infrared transmit/receive means subjected to said communication setting other than said first infrared transmit/receive means.
The invention as defined in claim 4 is a communication equipment featured by having communication equipment identification information transmitter means for transmitting a first infrared signal light containing therein communication equipment identification information for identification of the self communication equipment, communication equipment identification information receiver means for receiving a second infrared signal light containing therein communication equipment identification information of another communication equipment, communicable equipment identifier means for identifying certain equipment that is capable of communicating based on communication equipment identification information as received by this communication equipment identification receiver means, group setter means for setting as the same group at least one communication equipment of those communicable communication equipments as identified by this communicable equipment identifier means, and information transmitter means for transmitting by a third infrared signal light the same information as that of communication equipments in the same group as set by this group setter means.
With such communication equipment of this invention, communications using infrared signal light may be attained only when associative communication equipments come closer to each other thereby enabling settings of logical communication links with a desired subscriber at anywhere.
The invention. defined in claim 5 is a communication system including a plurality of communication equipments and a repeater apparatus thereof, featured in that each said communication equipment has communication equipment identification information transmitter means for transmitting a first infrared signal light containing therein communication equipment identification information for identification of a self communication equipment, communication equipment identification receiver means for receiving a second infrared signal light containing communication equipment identification information of another communication equipment, communicable equipment identifier means for identifying, based on communication equipment identification information being received by this communication equipment identification information receiver means, certain communication equipment capable of communicating, group setter means for setting at the same group at least one communication equipment of those communicable communication equipments as identified by this communicable equipment identifier means, and information transmitter means for sending forth by a third infrared signal light the same information as that of communication equipment in the Game group as set by this group setter means, the system being also featured in that said repeater apparatus has a plurality of infrared transmission/reception means for transmitting and receiving said first infrared signal. light, second infrared signal light or third infrared signal light, wherein said infrared signal light received by said first infrared receiver means is transmitted from said infrared transmission/reception means excluding at least said first infrared transmission/reception means.
The communications system of the invention may permit the direct emission type infrared communication equipment merely supporting either 1-to-1 or 1-to-N type communication form to perform independent communications with any one of individual equipments thereby transferring data information transmitted by respective equipments to other equipments, thus enabling accomplishment of N-to-N communication form; furthermore, communications using infrared signal light may be attained whenever associative communication equipments come closer to each other thereby enabling settings of logical communication links with any desired subscriber at anywhere.
The invention as recited in claim 6 is a communication system including a plurality of communication equipments and a repeater apparatus thereof, featured in that each said communication equipment has information transmit/receive means for transmitting and receiving information by infrared signal light, and in that said repeater apparatus has a plurality of infrared transmit/receive means for transmission and reception of said infrared signal light, wherein said infrared signal light as received by said first infrared transmit/receive means is transmitted from said infrared transmit/receive means other than at least said first infrared transmit/receive means.
The communication system of this invention may permit direct emission type infrared communication equipment merely supporting either 1-to-1 or 1-to-N type communication form to perform independent communications with any one of individual equipments thereby transferring data information transmitted by respective equipments to other equipments, thus enabling accomplishment of N-to-N communication form.
The invention recited in claim 7 is a repeating method comprising a reception step of receiving infrared signal light as sent from communication equipment, and a transmission step of at least transmitting said infrared signal light as received at said reception step to communication equipment other than said communication equipment.
Furthermore, the present invention may also be implemented ad apparatus and methods which follow.
Apparatus 1 is a repeater apparatus for use in infrared communications, as featured by having at least two or more control means provided with a function of forming a connection between control sections with a similar function of other infrared communication equipments by use of infrared transmitter means and infrared receiver means, and repeater means provided with a transfer function of allowing, before each said control means forms a connection and after formation of such connection thereof, one said control means to input to at least one or more other said control means certain information which has been outputted to the repeater means.
Apparatus 2 is the infrared communication repeater apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it has storage means for storing therein information as outputted from said control means to said repeater means, wherein when another infrared communication equipment issues a request for acquisition of information, said repeater means returns such information if this storage means stores therein relevant information thereto.
Apparatus 3 is the infrared communication repeater apparatus according to the apparatus 1, featured in that upon issuance of an information acquisition request from another infrared communication equipment, if said storage means does not store therein such relevant information, said repeater means attempts to obtain and fetch relevant information from another infrared communication equipment, and causes said storage means to store the same, And then returns the relevant information.
Apparatus 4 is the infrared communication repeater apparatus according to apparatus 1, featured by having converter means for converting, where in the apparatus 3 the information as acquired by another infrared communication equipment is at its unique value in the infrared communication equipment which has provided such information, it to an inherent value in the infrared communication repeater apparatus.
Apparatus 5 is the infrared communication repeater apparatus according to apparatus 1, featured in that it has group setter means for setting as a group at least two or more connections as set by said control section between other infrared communication equipments, and in that said repeater means has a transfer function of inputting output information from one equipment to another only within the group as set by this group setter means.
A method 1 is a communication method for performing information transfer of information that has been received by infrared communication equipment supporting the 1-to-1 connection type communication toward another infrared communication equipment, characterized by comprising the steps of receiving a connection set indication or command for a connection set request of said first infrared communication equipment, judging whether a connection set is possible with another said infrared communication equipment, transmitting the connection set request to connection settable infrared communication equipment, receiving, from the infrared communication equipment which has transmitted the connection set request, a confirmation of completion of such connection set, and thereafter returning a connection set response to the first infrared communication equipment, thereby setting a connection between the first infrared communication equipment and another infrared communication equipment.
A method 2 is a communication method as featured by comprising the steps of receiving a data receive indication with respect to a data send request of said first infrared communication equipment, storing data information added to the data receive indication, judging whether a connection is set between it and another infrared communication equipment, and requesting transfer of data added with the date information as stored with respect to said infrared communication equipment which has set the connection.
A method 3 is a communication method as featured by comprising the steps of receiving an information acquisition indication with respect to an information acquisition request for fetching information of said first infrared communication equipment, judging whether the information the information acquisition indication requires is stored or not, returning if relevant information is stored a response to the information acquisition indication as added with information relating to the first infrared communication equipment, transmitting if such relevant information is not stored an, information acquisition request for acquiring information pertaining to another said infrared communication equipment, receiving a confirmation containing certain relevant information from the infrared communication equipment which has transmitted the information acquisition request and thereafter storing the acquired relevant information while returning to the first infrared communication equipment a response to the information acquisition indication added with the relevant information, thereby providing information to the first infrared communication equipment.
A method 3 is a communication method characterized in that in the method 3, it comprises the steps of setting a connection between the first infrared communication equipment and another infrared communication equipment by returning a connection set response to the first infrared communication equipment after receipt of a confirmation of completion of the connection set as sent from the infrared communication equipment which has transmitted the connection set request, managing as a group the connection which has been generated during this process, and thereafter performing. information transmission only within the resultant group thus established.